Video games have become ubiquitous due to their universal appeal. Typically, these games are played on various products such as personal computers, hand-held personal devices, and dedicated gaming machines. Also typically, such products invariably incorporate a colorful electronic display supplemented with catchy sound effects. As can be understood, the electronic display plays a very critical role, both in terms of providing a visual interface that is appealing and user-friendly to a game player as well as in advertising the product.
In the era of the Internet, marketing personnel use a marketing parameter referred to as “capturing eyeballs,” for quantifying the number of viewers that look at an electronic display and continue to look at the display over a period of time. While such marketing parameters are generally important with reference to world-wide web (www) advertisements, it is even more important in the video gaming industry where commerce plays a direct and more critical role than casual pleasure.
Typically, patrons of a video gaming establishment have short attention spans and are constantly seeking newer and flashier games to play. Unfortunately, many gaming establishments, for example gambling casinos, contain bank after bank of video gaming machines, each of which incorporates a display having a very predictable and conventional appearance that fails to capture eyeballs.
Furthermore, conventional gaming machines are generally configured to display marketing material such as prize money and game-related graphics, only when a gamer is not actively using the system. Unfortunately, this marketing information is withdrawn and replaced by a video gaming session when the gaming machine is in active use. Consequently, the effectiveness of the marketing effort is diminished significantly.
Based on the above-mentioned handicaps of existing display systems, an unaddressed need exists in the industry to overcome such deficiencies and inadequacies.